Thurs.’s Devo - Confirmation

Read: Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12; Psalms 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 14:5-6
Israel went into sin…again and God gave them over to the Midianites for 7 years. Israel cried out to the Lord and he sent his angel to Gideon which means “warrior”. Gideon didn’t feel too much like a warrior at the time. He was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from the Midianites. You need to thresh wheat on a hill where lots of wind can blow away the chaff; not in a winepress which is below ground level. The angel told Gideon to go and save Israel from the hand of the Midanites. Gideon complained that he was the youngest in his family and his family was poor. That is just the kind of people God loves to use. God gave him this promise - He would be with Gideon and Gideon would win. That is all we really need because if God is for us, who can be against us.
Gideon asked God for confirmation and God gladly gave it to him. When Gideon knew for sure that God had called him to defeat the Midianites he did some cleaning house first. God told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and to cut down the Ashram pole beside it. He was to build an altar to the Lord and present a sacrifice on it. Gideon took ten of his father’s servants and did it at night.
The next day, the people of the town came for Gideon because they figured out that he had destroyed their altar. They were afraid that Baal would come for revenge. Gideon’s father told them to leave his son alone because Baal could avenge himself. They were satisfied with his answer.
Gideon now became the warrior he always was and rallied the troops to fight the Midianites. He asked for more confirmation to make sure he was on the right track. God gladly gave it to him.
God’s language is signs and wonders and he loves to give us confirmation. All we have to do is ask.
In Luke, Peter entered into the sifting process that Jesus warned him about. It looked like Peter failed but we know he turned back and repented.
In the meantime, Jesus was tortured and mocked and finally brought before Pilate who asked him if he was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered him affirmatively and Pilate was warmed by his humility. He found no fault in him even after hearing the lies they claim Jesus did. When Pilate heard that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him to Herod to get him off his hands. Herod was pleased to meet Jesus because he had heard all about him and wanted to see one of his miracles. Jesus wouldn’t answer any of his questions so Herod was insulted and joined in the mocking. He put a robe on Jesus as a joke and sent him back to Pilate.
Lord, help us to know when to be quiet and when to fight. Give us confirmation about our next step.